I’m connected

No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

1 Corinthians 2:11‭-‬12 NLT

One of my sayings in my house is that , I can’t help you unless you tell me what’s wrong. I say that to help them understand that I cantguess or read their mind about what’s wrong. At times they come out and tell me and other times we just sit together in quiet and talk about something to lead into it, or I just hug them. Just as I tell the kids that I idont know is the same with us spiritually. The people of the world can’t, or don’t want to understand our thoughts because of the spirit we have in us. In the same way they cannot comprehend what God is saying because of not knowing his spirit.

HERE IT IS…

You know what you know because of who your connected to. Your spirit and your thoughts, your peace, your joy, your love is not because your such a good person. It’s because of the spirit of the person that lives in you. You are who you are because of whose you are. Knowing provides us with a wonder of knowledge and ability that surpasses what or minds can obtain. We can learn books and things that’s taught, but the things of this world cannot contend with the wealth of knowledge that comes from God. 

It’s simple

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish.

1 Corinthians 1:18‭-‬20 NLT

You ever meet one of those people that act like they don’t understand the very simplest way you put things? I mean you break it down in a way that a baby can understand, and they dont? We may encounter those people a lot in our lifetime. It can become very frustrating to try and explain the ways of God to those people as well, but it should not ever stop you from trying. It’s hard for some people to understand how someone so majestic would put they’re life on the line for a person that’s going to always mess up. How is it that a person can save me from a multitude of sin and death, one time? It’s hard to even fathom for me at times when I look back over my life and see what should have, could have, or would have been, but God and his amazing Grace and mercy he had for me did it. It may be hard to answer some of those questions but one good thing about it is that we have the answers through his word.

HERE IT IS…

The bible says that God has made the greatest minds of this world look foolish. God has already mapped out what happen in the world, and what will happen in the world in his word. The problem is when things seem to easy people automatically think that it can’t be that easy. Well my family it is, it’s just that simple. That his love abounds so far that even when it seems so simple, it’s still hard for us to comprehend just how good God is to us. We feel their is a logical reason behind everything, God’s word tells us that, his ways are not our ways, it says that his thoughts are so high that we can’t understand it. He reveals it to us.

Know whose talking

The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”

Psalms 91:14‭-‬16 NLT

As a child I can remember hearing my daddy say something or teach me something, even when he thought I wasn’t listening I took it and held on to it. What my father told me was like stone, and even worse when it was something I thought he was wrong about and it turned out to be true. His words that he told me then and even now I still think, reflect and find something about them that just blows my mind. It was always in our family when our dad was about to lay something heavy on you he would clear his throat, pause for a second, then spoke slowly and chose his words carefully. When he said it, and when he laid it on you. You could really count on it and take it to the bank.

HERE IT IS…

The reason why I loved being able to take thoughts and instructions from my father was not only fear of my father. Yet, it was who my father was listening to himself. It was once I got older and got more into the word that the things that my father was telling me was not all his own thoughts, but actually God’s word. So when I say my daddy said I really didn’t have to change it, but the meaning became stronger. Not only was it what my earthly father told me, but it was what my heavenly father told him to tell me. I’m not saying that my fatjer was perfect, but who he listened to was, and sometimes that’s where we get caught up. We get caught up in who it is and not from who it is. The beginning of the scripture says, “the Lord says,”. Know whose talking to you.

No help needed

Has the Lord ever needed anyone’s advice? Does he need instruction about what is good? Did someone teach him what is right or show him the path of justice?

Isaiah 40:14 NLT

I am a helpful person and it’s on of my gifts. I am not the guy that Jas to be the main person, or out front. I can be in the background and help someone, or something to be accomplished. It’s something about helping people to do what they set out to do that brings me joy. Where I can celebrate with them and cheer them on with no hesisitation. Sometimes people that need help won’t ask, and I am that person that will ask if they need help. I am the person that will fill a need where I see a need. I am the person that would go all out to help someone. One thing sure and for certain that just like many of us, we have all tried to help God. An oxymoron in its self because how can we help someone that constructed it all? How can we assist the one person with something that has it under control? Often times this is what we do when we want something and we want it in a certain time period we set. We try to push things along that we see needing to be done, but may not be time for it. Then we have to go back and undo what we did , just to pit it back together when we reach that point.

HERE IT IS…

If the world was formed from a voice, a word, a sentence, a audio production from the creator. What makes us think that he would need our help making it better, or what we think and advice? We often try to make things go faster because of our timing and where we think we should be. Why do we seem to try and assist God in our life when he knows what we will do before we do it? What makes is think we can push God to do something for us that HE planned out. We have to understand and conclude that he is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. He created the heavens and the earth and made it good. But only what God does and says will last. 

Power up

But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

Deuteronomy 8:18 KJV

Pastor talked about power that God gives during offering time and then yesterday at the evening service while I was in the office with Pastor and realized my phone needed to be charged. As we got to the pulpit I sat down looked at my phone and by this time I was at about 2% charge. My phine has this feature on it where I can maximize my battery usage and it shuts everything off except for the things that you would need and that doesn’t use a lot of the battery. My phone screen saver changes, the picture goes away, you have no options to do anything that you would normally do or even get on the internet. It does allow you to add other apps that does not use a lot of power and it gives you a list of these items. I looked at the list to see if I could add the bible app to it (at least the offline version). To my surprise you couldn’t.

HERE IT IS…

How many of us try to maximize our power that we have? How many of us run on fumes and still push ourselves to do more? How many times have you tried to maximize your time, your space, your ability by doing just enough to stay a float? Truth of the matter we all have done it, but we leave one important ingredient out.

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:  But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 40:29‭-‬31 KJV

Protection

Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.  No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord , and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord .

Isaiah 54:15‭, ‬17 KJV

We all know and quote the portion of verse 17 that “no weapon formed against me shall prosper…”. We all know and believe that the weapon itself will not prosper. We all have heard the scripture preached and taught in different ways. Where people would say that it won’t hurt you, that it won’t get close, those are some of the things we have all heard. Even though the weapons form and won’t prosper, that doesn’t mean their will not be someone there to make you feel like it has power. One thing that I have discovered is that it says in the last portion of 17 that it’s the heritage of the servants. This is not something that you have to purchase, or ask for. It’s already in you to have it.

HERE IT IS…

This is God’s provision for you. He is not going to allow something to happen to you because you have not asked or went to go get it. His protection over you is in you because your in Him. It’s been passed down through the years to protect you the way God does. His protection is already been given to you before you were born. Sometimes we may not understand why he allows things to happen to us. We may not comprehend his methods of teaching at time of the lesson. Because of who we are to him his grace and mercy that’s given to us everyday, He makes sire that we are covered and protected. Even though they may rise against us and point the weapons in our face, we are still protected. 

Let the redeemed

Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.

Psalms 107:1‭-‬2 NLT

How many people do you interact with  on a daily basis? Whether it’s people that you know or people that you don’t know, people that you just smile at? How many people do we see, make eye contact, strike a conversation, or even just know that we see daily? Now, how many of those people know that you are saved? How many of those people have heard you talk about just how good God is to you? When was the last time that you sat down with some people and had a conversation about what a wonderful work God has done in your life? I know at times we will run into those people that want to tell us they’re whole life story. Where they moved from, how they got there. What happen at breakfast. Truth is in some ways we need to be more like that.

HERE IT IS…

So.etimes the only Jesus people see or hear about can be from you. The times and things people may be going through, may have been at they’re end and ready to give up. It could be that the person was making a plan not to wake up the next day. Then God sends you in their path and creates a way for you to open your mouth and speak a word to them. Sometimes it’s not always a deep biblical conversation that you have to have with that person to save them. Sometimes people just want to hear and know that not only do other people have to go through things like them, but that someone made it over. The very next thought in they’re mind is how? Insert Jesus here. That’s where you have the opportunity to let them know who God is to you. Show them how to pray. Show them what he can do for them. Don’t be afraid to open your mouth, you never know who is listening…

What’s that smell

Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

Ephesians 5:2 NLT

I know that everyone here has had that experience where they are somewhere and they are minding they’re own business and something comes across your nose. I’m talking about that smell that comes across and makes your face frown all the way up. Your eyes squint. Your hand comes over your nose or you start fanning your face. You can’t put your finger on it but something stinks. I mean something smells so bad that you are shaking your head no, and nobody asked you a question. It’s that stunk that has you almost grasping for air, or your allergies start to act up and you start sneezing. Is that what we smell like to God sometimes? Is this what our aroma to God smells like when we are cold to one another, and we hold grudges? Do we produce a stink that God has to cover his nose because of the stink we produce?

HERE IT IS…

How is it that we can call ourselves Christians, and can’t love one another? We praise God on Sunday and ridicule someone on Monday? We walk pass people and don’t speak? The scripture for today says to live our life FILLED with love. That doesn’t mean you have to be up in the person’s face. Have to always hold their hand or hug that person. The truth of the matter is that love is a state of the heart and mind. If we are to love one another and we have a heart that is filled with resentment, hurt, pain, discord, then we have to ask God to help us with it, but we can still love each other. Follow the example of Christ because he loved us, then we should love one another.

Involve Him first, not after

Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.

Ephesians 5:10 NLT

How often do you sit and think about what your doing in your life? When your contemplating your next move and trying to get things in order, we think about it a lot? When we move we make sure that all things are in order. We have to make sure the next place we are going is secured. We make sure the appliances are there. Make sire that the old place and the new place is clean. The truck and moving supplies have to be available. We go through making sure that everything had been carefully orchestrated and in place so that when we do move and make our next chapter in our life, whatever it is we take time to sit down and think about it.

HERE IT IS…

How often do we sit and think about if what we are doing pleases God? How often do we take a moment and actually include him in pur prayers, and not just ask for stuff in our prayers. God is not our bellhop, or servant that we just call upon and have him do things for us and tip him with offering. God is the creator of all things and should be included in them as well. Take the time out to ask God if this is his will before we make a decision and then say, your will be done. Carefully consider God in all we do and notice the difference. 

Trust his way

Show me the right path, O Lord ; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.

Psalms 25:4‭-‬5 NLT

Whenever I drive long distances I always have my phone charged to us the GPS. I put it in a place where I can see it and hear it so that I don’t miss a turn. I try to follow it so that I don’t have to go a different way and add on my travel time. It shows me what road I’m on, what the next road is, how far I have till I turn next and time till my destination. If for some reason I don’t charge the phone, or forget the car chargers, I have to go old school and use a map. That’s a little harder because even though it shows me the same things as a GPS, it’s not giving me the same view as the GPS, and I have to rely on me rather than the GPS to show me and tell me where, and lead me where to go.

HERE IT IS…

God wants us to follow him and put our trust in him as we do technology and the GPS. We trust our phones and tablets to lead us and do what it’s supposed to do. We expect not to be lead the wrong way by the technology. That’s what God wants from us. To trust his way, his directions, his word. He wants us to put our hope and trust in him and just follow his steps. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5‭-‬6 NLT